Young infants before they have started walking, spend most of their time in the prone position or lying on their backs. It is not until they begin to crawl and start holding their heads up that they should be encouraged to learn to walk, but gaining their balance is the major problem. Often during these times the infants fall and may incur serious injuries hitting themselves on the corners of furniture in the home. Some harness devices are on the market but they tend to be just straps that are not comfortable for the infants and they generally lift under the arms, the thin straps concentrate the lifting force in small areas rather than being a garment fully enclosing the infant and spreading the lifting forces throughout the entire garment with addition of a padded belt attached across the chest area. With this device a user can raise the infant into a semi-vertical position where they have the security of being held without the worry of falling. Additionally, this device keeps the infant in the semi-vertical position so the support is on the chest and crotch areas, rather than in the straight vertical position where the infant has the feeling of falling backward. This position lets the infant gain confidence in approaching the upright position while not being too far from the prone or crawling position that they are used to. Another added advantage to the device is that after the child starts actively walking, one end of a single lifting strap can be attached to the garment at any one of several places, to be used as a restraining device.
Other similar devices tend to be single purpose articles only to be put on during the training period. Whereas, the disclosed device has the convenience of being able to be put on, and left on for a period of play time, and then by attaching the lifting straps can be used as a walking trainer. By relocating the attachment buckles at the shoulders and shortening the lifting straps, and attaching the swing style seat, the infant can be carried by an user with the device used as a conventional infant carrier, where the straps go over the shoulders and the child is carried in front of the user.
This device may be made from a nylon mesh or any other suitable fabric while employing a minimal amount of belting and buckles. It offers an affordable and safe device that can be easily stored in a very small container.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,749,999 of Edna L. Crocker describes a manually held supporting device for assisting children in learning to walk. The object of this invention is to supply a body band which is adapted to secure upon a child, and which provides relatively long loop members which are secured to the back of the band and which are held by the attendant in supporting a child in position to walk. Although this device holds the infant in the forward leaning position, it is only secured by tightening the device around the upper torso with no support through the crotch, allowing the device to slide up and bind under the arms. Additionally this device must be removed when not in use because the straps are permanently attached and could inadvertently wrap around the child's neck.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,237,939 of William M. Olivet et al, teaches of a baby walking aid, and more particularly to such a means comprising a holding bar which is adapted to be held by an user, the bar being provided with hand holds for the baby. This device can only be used as a walking trainer and holds the child in a more vertical up-right position and does not present itself as any form of garment.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,778,052 of Paul Andow et al, describes a wheeled support structure defining an open framework enclosure including an adjustable height crotch sling and belt assembly. This device is similar to the common rolling walkers on the market, and it does not have the feature of having the personal control by a user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,110 of Giannina Llewellyn discloses an invention comprised of a baby walker organization with a one-piece harness to overlie a child's torso with a front panel and a back panel interconnected by a bottom web with leg apertures positioned to either side of the bottom web. This device is similar to the Crocker device with the improvement of the crotch support and the ability to be used as a backpack style of carrying device for the child. It is well understood that carrying a child in the backpack style is both uncomfortable for the user and the child. The preferred position of carrying an infant is in the front where the user can always be aware of the condition of the child and the load is placed on the central area of the back. Also with the straps as an integral part of the device, it must be removed immediately after being used due to the fact that the belt could rap around the baby's neck.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,287 of Linda E. Brown teaches of a walking aide for supporting an infant. The walking aide includes a harness mechanism for enclosing and supporting the infant therein, with a cross bar to be held by the operator, and a second bar to be grasped by the infant. This device has no upper body support and produces a tipping action if the child does not hold onto the bar.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,355 of Douglas Campbell describes an infant walking aide device, which helps a user to assist a small child or toddler in learning to walk. A fully adjustable harness supported by a crossbar, which is held by the user. These forms of harness style devices with conjoined straps have proven to be very dangerous if not fatal with small infants, where the straps can inadvertently get around the infants neck.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,551 of Jack Martusceillo discloses an invention that relates to a convertible harness system and more particularly to a multi-use harness system, which can be used to assist and support a child while the child is learning to walk. The harness system may also be attached to a tether to restrain the child once the child has learned to walk. The harness system may also include a carrier assembly so that the child may be supported and carried in the chest area of the parent or attendant. This is another strap style of infant paraphernalia that has proven very dangerous to children.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,114 of Douglas O. Campbell teaches of an infant walking and swimming aide comprising a harness having at least one adjustable shoulder strap, a lower adjustable body belt, an upper adjustable body belt, at least one crotch strap, and a high back belt. This is still another dangerous device using many belts wrapping around the infant.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,389 of Nils C. Shultz describes an invention designed to provide a safe comfortable and simple child walking harness to help a child to learn to walk and provide a non restrictive range of motion, balance and support during the child's early walking attempts by supporting the entire body weight evenly when needed to help cushion missteps, falls and give additional benefit to the parent through the ergonomically designed holding straps, and to minimize low back pain and strain. The child walking harness also provides safety for children after they have learned to walk, especially in public places, and around pools and beaches. Although this inventor has endeavored to minimize the use of straps on this device, there is no means to remove the straps from the device, and it does not display the ability of being used as a child carrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,949 of Ruben Rodarte tells of a portable tubular structure for supporting infants for the purpose of training and assisting infants to walk. This structure comprises a frame, generally U-shaped at the top with at least one J-shaped leg element being attached to the frame, with the J-shaped leg elements being parallel to each other. This device in no way holds the infant in any type of garment, but is a tubular apparatus that relies upon the infant to hold itself on it.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,338,699 of Timothy Dale Veitch describes a child sport activity-training device comprising a harness for enclosing and supporting a torso of a child therein, with a handgrip grasped by the hand of a trainer. This device is still another harness style, more adapted to train an older child to ice skate than an infant to walk. It still presents itself, as a single purpose device, this does not give the support for a small infant that will be given by the herein disclosed infant walking trainer and carrier garment.
Thus there is always a continuing need to improve the convenience and safety of the articles used in the care and training of small infants.